Girls soccer 2024: Lexington’s top teams, best players and biggest games this season

Girls high school soccer in Lexington has been dominated in recent years by Lexington Catholic.

In fact, the Knights haven’t lost to a city rival since 2019. It’s a span that has seen Lexington Catholic win 34 straight city games and four 11th Region titles.

But something extraordinary happened last October.

The Knights, ranked No. 1 in the state by the final Maher Rankings of the regular season, got upset by Madison Central in the 11th Region championship game.

Three Lexington teams actually ranked higher than No. 26 Madison Central — Lafayette (12), Paul Laurence Dunbar (16) and Frederick Douglass (22).

Could the Indians’ postseason success against mighty LexCath last year buoy confidence of the teams inside Fayette County’s lines? It should. And we’ll begin finding out when the season kicks off on Monday.

Here’s a look at all nine Lexington teams ordered according to their approximate finish last year. Player honors and stats are from the 2023 season. Quotes are coaches’ comments.

Lexington Catholic

Coach: Terry Quigley (33rd season).

Last season: 23-2. 43rd District champion and 11th Region runner-up.

Standing out: Joanna Bryant, jr., second-team all-city, (17 goals, 17 assists), “a very strong midfielder;” Izzy Skinner, sr., second-team all-city (15 goals, 12 assists) and Sara-Kate Barnes, sr. (6 goals, 8 assists) — “are quick and hard-working forwards.”

Coach says: “We always have a goal to get to the region final. At the moment I’m not sure (about how we’ll play) because we haven’t decided on a system or who will play where.”

Notes: Eight starters return. Senior Sarah Wethington and junior Bella Bretz will likely continue to split time at goalkeeper again this season. LexCath only allowed 11 goals against in 25 games. The annual Lady Knights Challenge Cup midseason tournament, Sept. 9-14, will draw some of the state’s top teams. Its schedule is expected to be finalized soon.

Schedule highlights: Aug. 12 at Sacred Heart; Aug. 14 at West Jessamine; Aug. 22 at Boyle County; Sept. 16 at Lafayette; Sept. 18 vs. Paul Laurence Dunbar; Sept. 26 vs. Frederick Douglass; Sept. 28 vs. Assumption.

Frederick Douglass

Coach: Megan Adkins (eighth season).

Last season: 17-5. 42nd District champion.

Standing out: Maddi Merryweather, sr., second-team all-city, (15 goals, 10 assists), “looking to have a big year … not only scoring goals but creating opportunities with her speed and creativity in the final third;” Jordan “Jojo” Williams, sr., second-team all-city, (17 goals, 8 assists), “consistency, speed and goal-scoring tenacity;” Savannah Hughes, sr., all-city honorable mention, “a strong, fast and very intelligent center back;” Reese Walker, sr., (23 goals allowed in 23 games at goalkeeper), “determined to have a great season.”

Coach says: “It’s a fun challenge to see where we start to see how we end, and I am excited about this group’s potential, but we have a lot of work to do to reach our goals.”

Notes: Eight starters return. With 15 wins this year, Douglass would reach its 100th program victory in eight seasons even though it had only one win during its inaugural 2017 campaign. With defending state champion Bethlehem on the schedule along with Sacred Heart and Lexington Catholic this year, it’s clear the Broncos aim to compete with the best of the best.

Schedule highlights: Aug. 14 vs. Paul Laurence Dunbar; Aug. 17 vs. Dixie Heights; Aug. 21 vs. Bethlehem; Aug. 28 at Sacred Heart; Sept. 7 vs. Russell; Sept. 16 vs. Henry Clay; Sept. 25 at Sayre; Sept. 26 at Lexington Catholic.

Lafayette

Coach: Taylor Roden (ninth season).

Last season: 14-5. 43rd District runner-up.

Standing out: Ileanna Wilson, sr., all-city honorable mention, (1 goal), “three-year varsity starter is extremely athletic;” sisters Kennedy Crovo, sr., (1 goal), Kitty Crovo, jr., (4 goals, 1 assist) and Chloe Crovo, so., (2 goals), “are all three technical players who can run and work for days.”

Coach says: “I like the work ethic and willingness to learn that I’ve seen early on from team. When you’ve got a team who can work hard and is coachable, anything can happen!”

Notes: Two starters return. In addition to the Crovo sisters, Lafayette has three more sets of siblings that include two sets of twins.

Schedule highlights: Aug. 12 vs. Campbell County; Aug. 17 vs. George Rogers Clark; Aug. 26 at Bethlehem; Sept. 4 at Paul Laurence Dunbar; Sept. 9 at Lexington Christian; Sept. 16 vs. Lexington Catholic; Sept. 18 vs. West Jessamine; Sept. 28 vs. Manual.

Henry Clay

Coach: Haydon Warren (third season).

Last season: 9-10. 42nd District runner-up.

Standing out: Avery Allen, sr., first-team all-city, (9 goals, 6 assists), “pacey forward/outside mid. Super competitive spirit;” Ava Wilson, sr., second-team all-city, Murray State commit (5 goals, 9 assists), “can play anywhere on the field;” Natalie Hoten, sr., all-city honorable mention, (1 goal, 1 assist), “leader, good ball distributor;” Madelyn McGuire, so., all-city honorable mention, “a shut-down attacking player of any level.”

Coach says: “We’re returning a lot of players with varsity experience, a strong senior class, and we’re looking to win region.”

Notes: Eight starters return. Henry Clay had its 42nd District title win streak come to an end last season after nine straight. The Blue Devils last won a regional in 2011 when they were in the old 13th Region.

Schedule highlights: Aug. 17 vs. Campbell County; Aug. 21 vs. Paul Laurence Dunbar; Aug. 26 at Great Crossing; Aug. 28 vs. Lexington Catholic; Sept. 4 vs. West Jessamine; Sept. 7 vs. Assumption; Sept. 9 at Madison Central; Sept. 11 vs. Lafayette; Sept. 16 at Frederick Douglass; Sept. 30 vs. Sayre.

Sayre

Coach: Michael McKinney (11th season).

Last season: 11-7.

Standing out: Katherine Monohan, sr., first-team all-city, (54 goals, 7 assists), “tenacious competitor with the ability to find the back of the goal;” Zeia Fanucchi, sr., all-city honorable mention, (1 goal, 16 assists), “superb midfielder with the ability to get the ball into dangerous areas;” Ella Jurgenson, so., all-city honorable mention, (2 goals, 7 assists), “had a great season in the midfield as a freshman.”

Coach says: “This has been a hard working team early on and they are getting along great and really coming together. If this continues, we have a chance to have a really good season.”

Notes: Monohan has 146 career goals, enough to put her in the KHSAA record books as one of the state’s top scorers. The record of 275 set by Prestonsburg’s Anna Burchett (2019-22) is out of reach, but Monohan can certainly climb the ranks. Eight starters return.

Schedule highlights: Aug. 14 vs. Madison Southern; Aug. 21 vs. Great Crossing; Sept. 18 vs. Bryan Station; Sept. 23 at Scott County; Sept. 25 vs. Frederick Douglass; Sept. 30 at Henry Clay.

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Coach: Marcel Simo (third season).

Last season: 10-7.

Standing out: Katie Ray, sr., second-team all-city, (1 goal), “a center defender who’s very versatile, a hard worker and a good leader;” Kennedy Morgan, so., all-city honorable mention, (1 goal), “willing to work hard and getting better every day.”

Coach says: “Our goal is to compete with other teams … represent our community in a beautiful way and excel at what we do.”

Notes: Four starters return, but the Bulldogs have just four seniors and three juniors.

Schedule highlights: Aug. 12 vs. Madison Central; Aug. 14 at Frederick Douglass; Aug. 21 at Henry Clay; Sept. 4 vs. Lafayette; Sept. 11 vs. Boyle County; Sept. 16 vs. George Rogers Clark; Sept. 18 at Lexington Catholic; Sept. 25 vs. Lexington Christian.

Lexington Christian

Coach: Evan Duszynski (second season).

Last season: 7-11.

Standing out: Jentry Bertram, jr., second-team all-city (2 goals, 2 assists), “excellent all-around player who is getting looks from DI schools;” Elizabeth Landfield, jr., all-city honorable mention, (9 goals, 3 assists), “looking for her to have a bigger role and score more goals this year;” Mackenzie Wallace, sr., all-city honorable mention, (6 goals, 5 assists), “very talented and always a threat offensively.”

Coach says: “We hope to be competitive in the district and qualify for the All-A state tournament.”

Notes: Eight starters return. LCA last won a regional in 2010 when it was in the old 14th Region. The Eagles lost 2-1 to St. Henry in the state championship game that year.

Schedule highlights: Aug. 14 at Woodford County; Aug. 19 vs. Lexington Catholic; Aug. 21 at Tates Creek; Sept. 7 vs. Great Crossing; Sept. 9 vs. Lafayette; Sept. 25 at Paul Laurence Dunbar; Sept. 30 vs. Madison Central; Oct. 2 at Henry Clay.

Tates Creek

Coach: Mebit Aragaw (second season).

Last season: 8-8.

Standing out: Katie Deans, sr., (3 assists), “has a deep understanding of the game;” Nancy Rickert, sr., (1 assist), “possesses strong leadership qualities … consistently motivates her teammates;” Reagan Williams, sr., (2 goals), works hard and consistently raises her game.”

Coach says: “We are excited about this season. Our strength is senior leadership. Also, we have a young group of players stepping up and filling the spots we are missing.”

Notes: Six starters return. The Commodores suffered three consecutive losing seasons before Aragaw took over. Their eight wins in 2023 were more than their combined wins the previous three years.

Schedule highlights: Aug. 21 vs. Lexington Christian; Aug. 28 vs. Paul Laurence Dunbar; Sept. 4 vs. Lexington Catholic; Sept. 16 vs. Sayre; Sept. 25 at Bryan Station; Sept. 30 at Lafayette.

Bryan Station

Coach: Stephanie Durbin (third season).

Last season: 2-18.

Standing out: Sofia Haggard, jr., second-team all-city, (313 saves), “back stronger and ready to be a force in the goal;’ Heavan Dobson, so., all-city honorable mention, (6 goals, 1 assist), “look out for this one … the definition of versatility, you can tell she loves playing;” Fabianna Herrera, jr., (4 goals, 2 assists), “versatile player with the most relentless spirit.”

Coach says: “We are going to have a good year. I like the talent we have and how they are meshing.”

Notes: Six starters return. Unfortunately, the Defenders are dealing with a season-ending knee injury to a key returnee for a second year in a row. Senior Makayla Sheets aims to stay on as a team manager. Like Lafayette, Bryan Station has four sets of sisters across its varsity and JV programs.

Schedule highlights: Aug. 12 at Frederick Douglass; Aug. 17 vs. Madison Central; Aug. 19 vs. Henry Clay; Aug. 26 vs. Scott County; Aug. 29 vs. Madison Southern; Sept. 18 at Sayre; Sept. 25 vs. Tates Creek.

Boys soccer 2024: Lexington’s top teams, best players and biggest games this season